Life satisfaction among employed people is significantly higher compared to that among unemployed people, Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures reveal.
The report, Personal Wellbeing in the UK, found that employed people rated life satisfaction at 7.6 out of 10 compared to their unemployed counterparts who rated life satisfaction at 6.6. Unemployed people reported higher anxiety levels to those in employment at 3.4 out of 10 in contrast to three out of 10 for individuals in employment.
Unemployed people also experienced lower personal wellbeing than those who were economically inactive - for example, students, retirees and those temporarily off work sick.
Among the economically inactive groups, retired people and students were the most satisfied with their life on average, while the long-term and temporarily sick were the least satisfied.
Overall personal wellbeing in the UK has also increased in 2012/13, with people reporting higher levels of life satisfaction, and lower levels of anxiety in general.
According to the ONS report, personal wellbeing among UK individuals had risen by 1.2 percentage points since 2011/12, while people's happiness levels increased by 0.5 percentage points. In addition, anxiety among respondents fell from 21.8% to 20.9%.
Furthermore, people aged 45 to 49 rated their life satisfaction lower than any other age group, in comparison to those in the 65 to 79 age group who had significantly higher average ratings than any other for both happiness and feeling their life was worthwhile.
